Sri Lanka is preparing to launch a dedicated research centre for 6G and next-generation wireless technologies by the third quarter of 2026, in collaboration with international partners and the private sector, Deputy Minister of Digital Economy Eranga Weeraratne has said.

Speaking to The Sunday Morning Business, Weeraratne said discussions on the centre were in their final stages and that officials were confident it would be operational within the planned timeframe. The initiative is expected to bring together global stakeholders and local industry players to advance research and innovation in cutting-edge telecommunications.

Weeraratne, however, drew a clear line between the research centre and any imminent commercial rollout. While plans for the centre are progressing steadily, he said, the rollout of 6G technology locally would take longer. He pointed to 5G networks, which still require further maturation, and to the need for telecommunications operators to recover their existing investments before transitioning to the next generation.

The Deputy Minister’s framing positions the centre as an early-mover research foothold rather than a near-term consumer deployment. Globally, 6G is being designed not just for faster speeds but to integrate communication, computing and sensing into a unified platform for an increasingly connected digital society, according to Dr. (Eng) Samiru Gayan in a recent newsletter of the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka cited by The Sunday Morning. Standards bodies have signalled commercial 6G rollouts in advanced markets only later this decade.

The announcement comes as the Digital Economy Authority — set up after the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) was wound down and replaced with a new governance architecture — works through a broader telecommunications brief. The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission has separately been pushed by Mass Media Minister Bandula Herath to set up independent monitoring of mobile coverage, and the government has begun rolling out remote public service guidelines under the same digital economy remit.

The centre’s funding model, named foreign partners and host institution have not been disclosed.

Sources: Newswire, The Sunday Morning.